What Would You Do?

You and a friend are hunting ducks on the river. The daily limit is three ducks per hunter. Your friend has bagged his three ducks and stopped hunting. You’ve shot two ducks and decide to try for one more.

Your friend comes along. A mallard flushes from the river in perfect shooting distance. You shoot and see the duck fall, but it lands in the river and is quickly swept downstream and out of sight. You both search for the duck, but can’t find it. Your friend says to forget about it, there are plenty of ducks, and one more or less doesn’t make a difference. You’ll be sure to find another one to shoot.

You probably feel bad that you couldn’t find the dead duck, but you know that the three-a-day limit counts only for ducks that you claim and bring home. Legally, you can continue to hunt for another duck. But you know that you have already killed three ducks.